


Lavender Buds

by BonsaiBro



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, I've been sitting on this for a while, contains swear words sorry, pls don't hate, this is my first ever fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:08:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonsaiBro/pseuds/BonsaiBro
Summary: "I want you right beside me, not because it's your job, but because it's our choice"Set in a parallel universe where Julia doesn't die (it's been two years and I swear I'm still fuming). I tried to get the tone of the characters right but I'm sorry if it disappoints or contradicts anything in the actual series. This is just how I feel these specific events would unfold/life after Julia not dying would be.Hope you enjoy, pls don't hate x
Relationships: David Budd & Julia Montague, David Budd/Julia Montague
Comments: 47
Kudos: 137





	1. Positive

She tapped her nails nervously on the bathroom wall and let out a heavy sigh. “For fuck’s sake, I’m a 43 year old, not a teenager” she almost thought out loud as she subconsciously eyed the stick sitting on the counter, aggressively flashing a digital egg timer on the screen. She turned it over so she couldn’t see the impending timer which was almost causing her heart to jump up into her throat. Her cycle had never been particularly regular, she was used to missing periods here and there: it came with the stress of the job and a side effect of her contraception. In fact, it was the stress of the job that meant Julia had now missed 2 consecutive periods and only just realised in recent hours, when she was checking her diary to reference a meeting and realised she hadn’t marked a small ‘x’ in the corner of a day for 8 weeks. A quick google search in the car home had ruled out early menopause and ruled in, rather terrifyingly, pregnancy - so she created a false diversion, feigning there was nothing in for dinner, so she could pop into the nearest supermarket and grab a test. She wasn’t worried about telling David: it wasn’t ideal 6 months into a relationship, but she knew he’d be supportive. She wasn’t even scared of what the public thought: she had gotten used to the fact someone always had something bad to say about her. The thing that terrified her the most was the thought of her as an actual, real mother. 

Julia had never really desired for children. In her younger days at university, she recalled the few female friends she had in law school talking fondly about starting families and even sometimes the conversation would wander onto baby names. This was not a conversation she took part in. The truth was, Julia was simply not interested in pregnancy or children; she wasn’t even really acutely aware of the symptoms of pregnancy past a missed period and morning sickness (which she now discovered, through what she since believed to be experience, doesn’t just come in the morning) until the Google search practically rhymed off all of the symptoms she’d been having the past few months. She wasn’t a female - orientated person and now she thought about it, she’d never really been close with anyone who’d been pregnant before. Completing a law degree in the late nineties and working in parliament were definitely not female heavy areas of study or employment.  
“How could I have fucking missed this?” She thought out loud. 

She had been on contraception for most of her adult life; however a busy spell in parliament combined with coping with the trauma of someone trying to blow her - and consequently - the man she had fallen in love with - to pieces, had led her to completely miss the note in her diary about her implant needing changing. She had eventually gotten round to it, but by that point, two months ago, it was most definitely too late, she decided now. 

Julia hadn’t had a very good relationship with her own mother and this is why, she thought, she threw herself into her career instead of gushing over baby-grows and nursery furniture, like her old school friends did. She shuddered at the thought of having to sit through another “girls reunion” lunch - most of them married to wealthy businessmen, working long hours (who were probably screwing their secretaries, Julia often thought) while they took up the role of the housewife. Julia couldn’t tell if the current nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach was how she felt about the particular homemaker lifestyle these women subscribed to, or her unconfirmed pregnancy. Despite the obvious differences in life goals, Julia had always felt like the odd one out of what was left of the group, and these lunches caused her more anxiety than her hardened exterior allowed her to let on. She’d always felt more akin to male company: not in a sexual way, just that she felt her ideals and values were more suited to the wholly sexist expectation of male performance. While her school friends were getting married, she was in court, fighting for divorce settlements for her clients. While they were dropping their kids off to school in the Range Rovers their husbands had paid for, she was debating in parliament over education policies up and down the country. 

Her marriage to Roger hadn’t helped spur on any maternal feelings within her either. The marriage was more of a “suitable match” than a blossoming relationship, a convenient matrimony fitted the relationship more aptly. Putting it down to youthful ignorance combined with the fact it was her first proper relationship that involved more than sex and cheap wine filled nights in halls of residence, she convinced herself she loved him and he loved her. Latterly, she realised he was more of a suitor than a husband and towards the end of their marriage she didn’t even care about the countless secretaries and aides he slept with, as long as he wasn’t trying to touch her at night. Procreating with the man was probably the last thing on her list at the time, which she was eternally thankful for now. One Roger Penhaligon was bad enough, never mind a small clone running around. She knew herself she wasn’t an angel either, a child that shared their genes was surely a recipe for psychopathic disaster. 

It was different now, she reminded herself. She had David, he was already a father and oh god, how she loved the way he was with Charlie and Ella. She’d met them a load of times in passing now and spent about as many long weekends with them, and she’d surprised herself with how fast she was falling for them, not dissimilar to the speed she’d fallen for their father at. 

David had been reallocated to another, lesser known colleague, in the same building as Julia but a different floor, after the blast at St. Matthew’s which they both scarcely escaped from alive. She had requested he be moved, giving the vague excuse that she felt terrible for keeping him from his kids due to the unsociable hours now she was a target, and that the shock of the bomb was not helping his PTSD from serving in the Middle East. Not that David knew she’d added the last bit in. His bosses, initially concerned, had obliged a day later, after news broke of Lorraine Craddock’s arrest, due to her role in the blast that had nearly killed both her and David and taken several of the lives of their colleagues and the journalists who had gathered in the hall that fateful day. She assumed the obligation to her request was simply to keep her quiet, but she had gotten what she wanted, so she didn’t complain. Six weeks after his transfer, the first tabloid newspaper snapped a picture of them out together, holding hands. It didn’t take long for the press to put two and two together and come up with four. “Bombshell Beauty MP Julia Montague steps out hand-in-hand with former PPO” the headlines had read the few days after. The sexism and blatant disregard of any respect for what they had been through the last few months was rife in these headlines, and all she could do was roll her eyes and move on. It had caused quite the shit storm and her PR manager had not been best pleased with her for a good few weeks after. Still, like any good piece of gossip, the whispered conversations and the just-a-little-too-long stares passed and the relationship between herself and David had gone from strength to strength. It took them a while to realise it, but he had unofficially moved in, and now his flat was on the market and she had lost her second spare room to two small, single beds and - it appeared - half of the toys section of the Argos catalogue. God, kids came with a lot of shit. She smiled as she realised how worth it the messy rooms and Sunday evenings spent tidying up were. 

Shuddering slightly, she was brought away from her thoughts of David and her new found semi-domestic life, realising how cold and uncomfortable she had become perched on the toilet in her bathroom. Becoming pregnant just now, even disregarding her lifelong lack of maternal feelings, was far from ideal. It had been eight weeks since she had launched her bid for leadership, after her interrupted attempt at St. Matthew’s, and if the bookmakers were to be believed, she had a very good chance of succeeding. Head in her hands: a million thoughts ran through her mind. She could see the headlines now: “New PM to take maternity leave after one day in office”. Her PR manager was yet again to find reasons to glare at her over her desk during meetings. Checking her watch, she closed her eyes and swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry. She smiled, humourlessly, thinking how much she could murder a glass of dry white at that moment, despite the fact the smell of any type of alcohol had turned her stomach for the last six weeks - which she had put down to the lasting effects of a heavy night out with David. How the fuck had she not realised before now? She picked up the white stick, although she was sure she wouldn’t even need to look at it to know what it said, and turned it over. 

“Pregnant. 3+ weeks” it read.

“Fucking. Shit.” she thought out loud.


	2. Baby Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia reacts to the fact she's going to be a mum and that she's going to have to tell David when he gets home from work.
> 
> Warnings: Swear words and I'm gonna put a Trigger Warning on this due to brief mention of termination/abortion. It is literally just a fleeting mention/thought but please do not read if this is likely to upset you. I want this to be fluffy but I also want to recognise the complexity of pregnancy and mental health which I feel is important. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2

She finished dry heaving after being sick for a third time in the space of thirty minutes, flushed the toilet and wiped her now slightly sweaty brow. The coolness of the bathroom tiles permeating through her skin was soothing albeit a stark reminded of the situation she now found herself in. Her body was running hot and cold and she had absolutely no fucking clue what to do. Picking up her phone from the counter, she rested her back against the hard tiles of the wall and glanced at the time. 7:30pm. David’s shift wasn’t due to finish until 10pm; and then he had at least a 45 minute period where he was required to sign out and return his glock. She groaned, thinking of the agonising wait until then. She’d always found the videos of women elaborately informing their partners they were pregnant cringe-worthy, but now she had a new found respect for their level of self control. All she wanted at the moment was a dose of David’s calm demeanour, no doubt telling her everything was going to be okay, and the thought of waiting at least another 3 hours for that almost made her sick again. Unlocking her phone, she thoughtfully typed out a message to David; trying not to convey how anxious she was for him to return home.

David's brow furrowed as he skimmed over the text from Julia that had just popped up on his work phone. Julia never text his work phone. Julia never text him, full stop. Well, unless it was to ask him to do something. It seemed breezy enough but he wasn't fooled; what was she up to?

Lavender: Any chance you'll be getting off shift early tonight?

It was actually looking likely that he’d get off early; he had been scheduled on until 10pm due to his principle having evening meetings, however, these had subsequently been cancelled due to an outbreak of food poisoning from the canteen at parliament if the rumour mill was to be believed. Luckily, he thought, PPOs didn’t eat in Parliament. Tapping a quick reply informing her of this, he locked his phone and replaced it back in his suit jacket pocket. “Won’t be long until we’re home, ma’am” he informed his principle. A grunt was the reply. He half smiled to himself, internally noting that history most definitely would not be repeating itself. Julia had been worried initially when he was assigned to the particular MP; she was younger than her, closer to David’s age. She most definitely had nothing to worry about; he thought Julia was rude at first but this woman was in another league. He swore she’d spoken about 5 full words to him in the weeks he’d worked as her PPO. At least Julia had the decency to tell him to fuck off he thought, as he stifled a laugh.

Pulling herself up off of the bathroom floor, she shakily made her way through to their bedroom, after re-reading David’s reply and thanking that, one, she didn’t eat from the canteen in parliament and two, that others had. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she pulled a face. She was pale grey, clammy and dishevelled-looking, and would probably pass for having come down with a bout of food poisoning. Glancing at the clock on the side, it was now 7:50 and David would probably be making the last few checks of her colleague’s flat, before heading back to base to change. Hopefully her text would mean he wouldn’t hang about and would come home promptly. Glancing at the opened pregnancy text box next to the clock, she realised there was another one in there. Most women did at least two to check, didn’t they? What was the likelihood of it being a false positive? Was there any? Julia was really showing her lack of knowledge about reproduction now. Ask her about foreign policy or any of the counter-terrorism laws, and she could probably tell you about them in her sleep. Ask her about being pregnant and she had absolutely no fucking clue. Moving through to the kitchen and grabbing a drink of water, she leant against the side and sighed. She felt guilty for even thinking it, but her mind was running at a thousand miles an hour and she couldn’t stop herself for considering if a termination was right. David would probably be gutted, but he’d get over it. She was panicking now and trying to talk her way out of the whole situation; what was she even thinking?? Panic was taking over and she had to stop it. “You’re being sill now Julia” she thought out loud. “Stop it.” She took a few deep breaths and made her way through to the bathroom to take the second test, just to be sure. 

Half an hour later and another positive test in her hand, Julia Montague had decided that she was living in a nightmare. Any hopes that she’d had of a false positive had been dashed when the same message confirming there was a small human growing inside of her had flashed up on the screen of the second white stick. Why the hell was time not going faster? She needed David to be here and she needed it to be now. She paced around the living area of their flat anxiously. She knew she had to eat, but she was fighting the waves of nausea she’d been experiencing since she’d checked her diary that afternoon. She’d lost count of the amount of times she’d actually been sick now, closing her eyes as she tried to fight adding another to the list. 

By the time she’d settled herself on the sofa with a cup of decaf tea, trying to focus on whatever gardening programme she had put on the TV, she heard David’s key turn in the lock and the door open and shut. His soft Scottish accent rang through the flat: “Julia, I’m back!” Swallowing the mouthful of warm tea she’d just taken, she called back “In the living room!”, her voice sounding far less normal and a lot more shaky than she had attempted to make it. She heard him place his keys on the side table and take off his jacket and shoes before he came through and sat down beside her. “Everything okay?” he asked placing a kiss on the top of her head, brushing his hand through her silky curls. Before she even had a chance to reply, he glanced at her, a concerned expression growing on his face. “God Julia, you look awful” he exclaimed placing a hand on her head. “You didn’t eat lunch from the canteen!?” he asked, pulling her into his strong embrace. “No… I…” she began, as her phone began to screech out a shrill ringtone. “Fuck off” she muttered under her breath as she realised it was Rob MacDonald, her slightly slimy aide, on the other side of the call. “If you need to answer it, it’s okay love” David mused, stroking her hair. “Thanks David” she replied as she clapped the phone to her ear. “Rob, is this urgent? I’m a bit busy just now” she quipped, rolling her eyes and smiling at David, mouthing “2 minutes”. David stood up to get a beer from the fridge, softly rubbing Julia’s back as he stood up.

“Anything interesting love?” David asked as he made his way over to the table with a beer and a white wine for Julia. Her mouth watered at the thought of the taste, while her stomach lurched and she had to close her eyes to concentrate on something else. “Just the usual from Rob, flapping over nothing” Julia mused, subconsciously placing a hand on her stomach. “He still wants to get in your pants then?” David grinned as he settled himself on the sofa, nodding towards the wine glass he’d placed on the glass coffee table in front of her. “Listen David, I need to tell you something…” she sat up and began as he laughed warmly. “I KNEW there was something up, you NEVER text me at work!” he exclaimed a smug smile on his face. All Julia could think about was how she was going to wipe that right off of his face in a minute. Would he even stay? Her mouth ran dry at the thought and she almost reached for the wine glass on the table, the condensation drops running down the outside, almost too much to resist. “No, listen… I don’t really know how to say this, so just open this box please and don’t flap about it” she practically whispered, handing him a small white box - which, unbeknownst to him - contained the positive tests. “God knows, I’ve done enough flapping tonight for the both of us.” Julia studied him as he removed the lid from the box and frowned at it’s contents; taking in the news he was presenting to her. The half grin on his face turned into a blank expression as Julia could almost see him processing the information, then the smug smile came back and all the anxiety in Julia’s stomach melted away. 

“Well…” he grinned. “I’m pregnant would have been a great start” as he leaned in to kiss her, his lips crashing against hers in the most gentle, yet sexy way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I am so so overwhelmed with how kind you've all been about this piece! I was definitely not expecting this kind of reaction and was expecting about one person to read it so I'm so glad you all enjoyed it. Just a heads up though: I'm very keen to continue this but I have a very full-on full time job so I'll try to write when I have the time. I think one chapter a week is probably realistic but there may be weeks I can't do this depending on what's going on at work. Anyway, thanks for coming back and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really tried to keep the tone again but I felt like it was harder to do in this chapter. Also it's short again but I wanted to do a second chapter before my working week begins!


	3. Chapter 3: PR(egnancy) Nightmare, Ms Montague?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julia meets with her PR manager on how to manage the little situation she's found herself in.

Chapter 3: PR(egnancy) Nightmare, Ms Montague?

Julia was draining the dregs of her second cup of warm ginger tea as David strolled through from their shared bedroom, absentmindedly buttoning the cuff of his shirt. “You were up early this morning, love!” he noted, voice tinged with hints of both concern and amusement. “Couldn’t sleep” she answered, resting a hand subconsciously on her still-flat stomach. “Between the nausea, your snoring and the meeting today with Elizabeth, there was little point in staying put” she smiled back at him, whilst glancing her eyes over her notes in the diary for the day. Julia had never been great with vomiting; she’d take a head cold over a stomach bug any day - and the constant waves of nausea throughout the day were now slowly but surely killing her soul. Following a visit to her family doctor, whom had handed her a rather unhelpfully coloured - sick green - leaflet on morning sickness, she had discovered that out of the twelve suggestions in the leaflet, only two things would help ease her nausea: ginger tea and peppermint flavoured sweets. Needless to say, she now had practically the whole of her local Waitrose’s stock of both items, split between their flat and her office. “It’s still as bad then?” David replied sympathetically, kissing the top of her head as he passed by to switch on the coffee machine. “Worse, if anything” Julia groaned as the effect of the last mouthful of ginger tea was beginning to wear off. Popping a mint in her mouth, she turned to face him. 

“Listen… we need to properly talk through how we want people to find out about this. I’ve got this PR meeting today, and…” Julia started as David moved to sit on the arm of the sofa and place a gentle, protective hand on her face. “Love, we can do this however you want to do this. It’s your body and it’s your career. Whatever you want, I’ll be right beside you. Do you want me to be there today?” He asked, frowning as the coffee machine started whistling, rudely interrupting his attempts to reassure her. “No, no, I’ll be fine.” she insisted. “Besides, you’re working. No, I’m a big girl, I can handle my PR manager.” she said confidently, David noted, almost as if she was trying to convince herself what she’d just said as well. “Plus, if you’re in on the meeting, the office will definitely know something is going on. If that happens, they’ll probably have it worked out by morning tea” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “Why do I employ such GOSSIPS” she moaned, her dulcet tones emphasising ‘gossip’ as if the word itself had personally caused her significant harm. Just then, she was broken from her rant as the sound of the horn from the familiar BMW 750Li pierced through the building. “And that’s my cue to leave” she sighed, smiling at the handsome man standing in her kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee and picking up her work bags. Placing a quick kiss on his lips, he had enough time to place a hand on the small of her back and pull her back towards him, kissing her again. The kiss deepened and Julia almost forgot the waiting car outside until she heard a harsh knock at the door and her PPO’s broad London accent, shouting her name through the door. “Stop that” she playfully scolded David. “That’s what happened just before this happened!” she exclaimed, pointing at her stomach. “I’ll see you tonight.” she smiled and he laughed back at her. “Today will be fine.” He reassured her. “And if it isn’t, I’ll be ready to batter whoever you want me to.” He grinned. God, she loved when his home dialect slipped into his conversation, she thought as she closed the door behind her, stepping out into the cold October air, leaving ‘lover’ and ‘mother’ Julia behind, becoming the Rt. Hon. Julia Montague again. 

Julia’s morning passed quickly, fuelled, as usual, by ginger tea, peppermints and a few decaf. coffees for good measure. Julia always drank decaf anyway, so her change in ‘dietary’ habits had gone unnoticed by her various assistants and political aides. The stress of the job meant she rarely had time to eat normally - and due to her campaign for leadership kickstarting along with the PM scandal she had played no part in for legal reasons - everything had been ten times worse than usual. She’d managed to escape the tuna nicoise salads and glasses of wine at lunch for now. Glancing at the clock, she realised that her PR manager was due any moment now. Standing up and smoothing down her trouser suit and blouse then fixing her hair, she beckoned to her assistant and motioned towards her almost empty cup of tea, signalling she needed a fresh one. Her mouth ran dry as she caught sight of Elizabeth being greeted by one of her aides as she stepped out of the lift. ‘Effortlessly glamorous’, Elizabeth was a stylish woman - Julia reckoned she wasn’t that much younger than her, however, had enjoyed the lifestyle being a young professional in her mid twenties had offered her, and had decided to inject her face with chemicals so she could live out the lifestyle as long as was socially acceptable. This was the one thing Julia felt she had over her PR manager - Julia had outgrown putting designer clothing and too much makeup on just to hang around an incredibly expensive London bar, hoping a guy would feign interest, long ago. Elizabeth, it appeared, had not; underneath the layers of makeup she was sure the woman hadn’t slept the night before; meaning she probably hadn’t come home. For a PR manager, thought Julia, her name was no stranger to the mouths of the employees of her office. 

Plastering a fake smile on her face, she opened the heavy glass door to her office. “Elizabeth!” she exclaimed. “How lovely to see you again!” she internally rolled her eyes. “Sit down, sit down!” She beckoned to the plush chairs opposite her desk, astride a large glass coffee table. “Can I get you a drink?” she asked in her fake politeness, as the assistant brought back her cup, re-filled with steaming ginger tea. “Double espresso would be great Julia, thanks!” Julia nodded towards the assistant as the young woman made off back in the same direction again. The two women exchanged pleasantries and small talk in the moments they spent waiting for the assistant to arrive back with the double espresso. When she did, Elizabeth thanked her and took a sip, pulling out her notebook at the same time. “So…” she began, placing her cup exuberantly down on the coffee table, as if to emphasise that she knew what Julia was about to say was about to cause her a shit-load of stress. “PR nightmare, Ms Montague?” she asked, giggling at her own joke. “Hit me with it.” she finished, more warmly this time, and Julia instantly remembered why she had hired her. The woman could be brutal, but Julia knew she could rely on her for anything. “Okay so here’s the thing…” Julia began, eyeing the only slightly younger woman across from her, making notes in her notebook. Julia couldn’t understand why, but there was something about her that ever so slightly intimidated the politician, not that her hardened exterior would ever show it. Julia leaned back in her chair, searching for the words, an idea of how she could gently break the news. The idea, unfortunately for Julia, never came. “I... well… there’s no gentle way of saying this. David and I… we’re… well, we’re expecting a baby.” she finally finished, pulling the lapels of her suit jacket straight and sitting up tall, the weight of the world suddenly vacating from her shoulders. 

“Congratulations” Elizabeth half smiled, continuing to make notes. “And you want to come up with a strategy of how you’re going to tell the world, right?” the woman replied, placing her notebook and pen on the table, taking another swig of strong espresso. “Yes, that would be great. I know it’s not ideal, with the bid for leadership, well it obviously wasn’t planned, but it’s happened now… and I have to deal with the backlash.” Julia sighed, eyeing Elizabeth for some sort of reaction. She was surprisingly calm, surprisingly un-passive aggressive and almost looked happy for her. “Listen Julia, this could really swing in your favour. At the moment, you’re… ambitious, in the eyes of the public” Elizabeth began, while Julia internally groaned at the flavours of sexism that tinted her last comment about the politician’s demeanour. “This could really appeal to the female voting population of the country. New mother for PM, that sort of thing. Market yourself as a role model for young girls, etc.” Elizabeth gushed, clearly the news was music to her ears and she had been expecting much worse. Julia, however, was not convinced. “Elizabeth, David would be horrified if he thought I was using our baby as a campaign tool. I hate to say it… but so would I. This baby has nothing to do with my politics and I don’t want her or him tarred with that for the rest of their life.” Julia cringed at how maternal she sounded as she placed a protective hand over her stomach. The worst part of it was, she genuinely didn’t know whether it was the hormones or if this was the person she was now becoming. Just what the world needs, she thought. She took a sip of her tea as her PR manager began to speak again. “Not at all Julia, I completely understand why you’d feel that way; but that would not be the angle we’d be going for. It would be done subtly, through appearance and words, not through bold statements. What we can do is arrange a meeting with your campaign manager in detail - but this is something that doesn’t need addressed imminently.” Elizabeth stopped for a breath and she started jotting down more notes in her notebook. “How far along are you?”

“I’m 10 weeks.” Julia replied confidently. “I visited the early pregnancy unit, you know, with my…” she faltered, not wanting to admit to herself what she was going to say. “Your age, yes.” Elizabeth finished, and Julia had to stop herself from rolling her eyes again. The woman was good at her job, but she loved to remind Julia she was younger than her. “Yes. Well, they confirmed I’m 10 weeks. I’m booked in for my 12 week scan in two weeks. I’m staying with my private hospital for pregnancy care, I just feel it’s less of a worry, especially when we’ve not gone public yet.” Elizabeth nodded in approval. “And how many people have you told already?” she asked, almost holding her breath waiting for the answer, Julia noted. “Obviously David knows, and we told Vicky, his ex wife. We felt she had a right to know as we were very aware the press could get wind at any point and we’d rather her, then the kids knew first. Apart from that, we were waiting until the 12 week scan to tell close family and friends. As for a public announcement, we’re not too bothered, as long as everyone around us know first.” Elizabeth nodded in approval again, and Julia couldn’t help feel satisfied at this. “In that case, I’d suggest speaking to the wardrobe assistants and letting them know too - they’ll know exactly how to dress you. Any hint of a baby bump, and the press will have a field day - whether they believe you’re actually pregnant or not. Better to be ahead of them - for your own wellbeing more than anything else. I have had many a client whom has been caught short and had their big announcement ruined by speculation.” Elizabeth finished, finishing her espresso. “I can speak to them for you. I’ll draft an announcement as well, just so we’re one hundred percent prepared should the press get any wind of this. If there’s nothing else, I think we’re pretty much sorted. That was quick and painless.” The woman stood up and shook Julia’s hand. “Congratulations, again. You’ll feel better once it’s out there and the attention has calmed down. Now we’ve got a plan, we’re sorted. I’ll be back in touch soon.” She smiled, and with that, the meeting Julia had been dreading all day was over. 

When she returned to the flat that evening, David was already preparing dinner. The smell hit her like a 20 tonne lorry, and she quickly placed a piece of chewing gum in her mouth to avoid vomiting over the Jimmy Choos she’d just slipped off. “I’m home!” she called out into the flat, and was met by a call of “In the kitchen, love!” in the familiar soft Scottish accent she had grown to love over the months. “Smells good” she lied through a smile, still fighting the urge not to be sick. “Then why are you green?” David joked, wrapping an arm round her waist and kissing her on top of her brunette curls. “Baby obviously doesn’t approve of your cooking then” she smiled and pulled him in for a kiss on the lips. “You’re in a good mood!” David remarked as he returned to stir the hot pan on the hob, sizzling away furiously. “I take it the PR meeting went well then?”

Settling herself in her favourite spot on the sofa, she pulled out some paperwork and a pen. “Yeah, it was great actually. Elizabeth seems to think it might actually help my public image, rather than hinder it, which is good. And she’s going to speak to the wardrobe assistants for advice, so we can hide him or her for as long as we need or want to.” She finished, scribbling some notes down on the paper in front of her. “And…” David tailed off, studying her face for any sign of a reaction. “How long are you planning on keeping this secret?” He probed, his eyes scanning the politician’s face carefully. Julia sighed and looked up from her paperwork. “I’m not sure.” She spoke slowly, as David could virtually see he thoughts working their way through her brain. “Elizabeth was… very positive” she mused “but… she was very keen to announce the pregnancy while I’m running for party leadership.” David, who was sifting through a pile of colouring books, stopped dead. “You mean use our baby to help your campaign?” He retorted quickly, despite his attempt to hide the defensiveness in his voice. “Don’t worry, we’re on the same page. I shot that idea down very quickly, but I think she’ll push this. The party ballot goes out 3 weeks tomorrow. If we can hold off until at least then, I’ll push for minimal press around the pregnancy. We won’t make it through to the General Election however, there’s no way I can hide a pregnancy for 4 months.” Julia sighed, her voice - David noticed - wavering ever so slightly, her face a picture of worry. David’s face softened at her vulnerability. 

“We’ll do this together” he replied, stroking her head. “Our choice, remember?” He smiled, as she grinned uncontrollably back. “Our choice” she replied softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN MIA.
> 
> Work has been pretty crazy with all things corona and it's going to be even worse after the Christmas break. So my next chapter will probably be June. (Jk, but its been pretty hectic and I don't want to end up hating writing this, so I'm trying not to push myself to write it when I don't feel inspired to). Hope you're all keeping safe and thank you for bearing with me!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go a bit off plan for Julia and David here :))))
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

Julia Montague wasn’t often one for succumbing to panic or stress - she believed it hindered your chances of completing the task at hand. This morning, however, was a different story. David grinned internally as he heard the politician muttering a few choice words, intended to be spoken under her breath, from their bedroom as he was making tea in the open kitchen. “Everything alright love?” he called through to her, stirring the milk into his coffee and dropping a tea bag into the hot water in Julia’s mug. 

Julia stormed through into the kitchen, wearing a loose flowing chiffon shirt and simply her lace underwear on the bottom. “No everything isn’t fucking ‘alright’” she fumed, mimicking her partner’s broad Scottish accent. David choked back his laughter, knowing it would only ignite the volatile situation. “Woahhh, slam on the brakes for a second!” He soothed, advancing towards her with his hands up, as if almost to show his very hormonal partner he came in peace. “What’s wrong love?” he probed, preparing himself for open fire. God, he had thought Helmand had been bad at the time. He was yet to experience a very pregnant, very tired Julia Montague. Those were simpler, albeit less fulfilling or amusing times. Julia met his gaze for the first time and her expression softened somewhat. “Nothing fucking fits David! I don’t want the world to know about this yet!” She complained, gesturing towards her stomach, which seemed to have doubled in size over the last two and a half weeks. “I SWEAR…” she emphasised and paused for effect “… that this wasn’t half as big on Monday at the scan.” She glanced over towards the already framed picture on the sideboard. Julia could go without the naff-ness of framed scans and gender reveal balloons, but after a long conversation, where David had reminded her that she was actually allowed to enjoy the pregnancy in the comfort of their own home, they had decided it would take pride of place there. 

“Love, it’s okay. I’ll phone Kim, and she can pick something up from wardrobe on the way here” he soothed, as she allowed herself to melt into his embrace. She rolled her eyes at the mention of wardrobe. “Ugh, those people will have me living in shift dresses and tunic tops for the next 7 months if they’re not stopped soon” she groaned, well aware that the alternative to her sudden change in wardrobe was to publicise her pregnancy. Often, Julia felt more akin to a 16 year old schoolgirl who’d just found out she was pregnant in the school toilets with her friends, than a 40-something year old woman with a steady relationship, property in the middle of London and a powerful career both behind and in front of her. 

While David was on the phone to Kim, she stole some quiet time to herself, sipping on the hot ginger tea and listening to the soothing tones of the newsreader on the radio, softly reading the morning bulletin. A juxtaposition, Julia mused, easing you into the carnage and distress of the current events around the world. One thing that had come from her pregnancy, was that she hadn’t realised where ginger tea had been all her life. Almost as if magic, her morning sickness had eventually begun to ease towards the end of her first trimester as the doctor had suggested it would - leaving her only feeling nauseous at certain smells - namely, Rob’s aftershave (although she wasn’t entirely sure that was completely down to her pregnancy) and very strong food smells. However, the notion she had for the soothing spicy liquid she had once used to combat the nausea hadn’t gone away - which David had joked was lucky as she’d practically bought the whole of her local Waitrose’s yearly supply. 

As David had said, Kim turned up with a pair of maternity suit trousers at 8am. “With compliments of your wardrobe assistants ma’am” she had grinned as she handed her the clothing, having been on the receiving end of many rants about her new found hate for peplum tops. Wardrobe was a relatively new ‘perk’ to her job as home secretary, after one of her colleagues had been on the end of some bad press surrounding the endorsement of wearing a known homophobic designer brand to a charity gala. It took the stress of researching brands and knowing exactly what to wear when, away from Julia, which she hadn’t complained about at first. Now, however, anyone who knew Julia, knew how much the department had become the bane of her life.

“Have a great day, love” David had smiled as he handed her lunch and kissed her quickly as she left with her PPO. Looking at him there, dressed in grey joggers and a tight base layer top, which clung to his muscular build perfectly, she groaned internally and questioned why she had to leave him at all today. She could feign sickness? No, there was too much work to be done. Or was there? Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she smiled and kissed them back. “See you tonight” she smiled, using the statement to convince herself what was right, absentmindedly placing a hand on her slightly - yet most definitely becoming more obvious by the day - swollen lower abdomen. 

As she exited the external door of the Overstrand Mansions, she feigned a small smile towards the waiting press that hung around the street everyday - a small yet very vocal group of photographers - desperate for a glimpse of the bookies’ favourite for the next PM. She had become used to the questions yelled at her from behind the small police barricade and had grown even more used to ignoring them as the weeks had passed. Gliding into the car, she straightened out her top, hiding any evidence of the small, yet increasingly invasive human she was growing in there, mentally preparing herself for the working day ahead.

It had been a relatively quiet Tuesday for David. He had started later today, his principle deciding to take the morning off to celebrate one of his children’s birthdays before opting to work later at night. David was not entirely impressed with this arrangement, as he had hoped to get the kids tonight - which had to be rearranged once he’d received his rota. He was always grateful in these situations however, that him and Vicky were on such good terms. She understood that his shifts could change at short notice and was always able to break it gently to the kids too, avoiding any friction when he eventually did get to see them. It had been a relatively quiet day that was, until he had received the phone call from Julia.

Julia never called him out of habit - she was usually too busy or knew he wouldn’t answer if he was on shift. However, the first time his phone rang - at around 6pm - he ignored it. Guessing she’d forgotten he was working later and thinking he was at home, was calling to ask about dinner arrangements, he pressed the decline button quickly and slipped his phone back into his pocket before anyone noticed the distraction. Feeling his phone vibrate against his torso again only seconds later, he rolled his eyes. Declining again, he quickly tapped out a text message.

“Love, I’m still working. I’ll be home around 9pm - grab whatever you want for dinner or there’s leftovers in the fridge. Will go shopping tomorrow. -D x”

Again, slipping his phone back into his pocket, he eyed the office around him, checking that no one had noticed his typing. He hated this kind of shift. He didn’t mind working late when the principle was attending an event, but office work at this time, when it was beginning to get dark, was so monotonous for the PPO. The shrill tone of a phone in an adjacent office brought him back from his thoughts. One of his principle’s secretaries popped their head around the glass door and called “Sarge! Phone for you!”. Bracing himself for it to be Samson with an order, he sighed and made his way towards the office. “Won’t be two minutes” he called across to security and shut the door behind him. Glancing at the phone before he answered, he noticed it was an internal call, not an external, meaning it couldn’t be Samson. He recognised the number code almost immediately - Julia’s office. What on earth was she still doing at work? 

“P.S. David Budd” he answered sharply, treading carefully in case it wasn’t his partner on the end of the phone. “For fuck’s sake David” came the stressed reply. “I’ve been calling you!” David grinned internally at how exasperated the mother of his baby sounded. “Love, I’m at work, you know the rules. No distractions.” He replied in a hushed tone, eyes scanning the floor for any signs of anyone coming his way. “What’s so urgent anyway? I really shouldn’t be taking this just now.” He reminded her. “For God’s sake David, check your fucking emails. This is a disaster. I’ve had Elizabeth in here since 4pm. The photographers at the house this morning… they’ve…” Julia paused, her tone becoming more hushed. “Well they’ve managed to get a picture of me, in which I am quite clearly pregnant.” David could feel the rage through the phone as he pulled up the image of Julia from this morning on his phone, with the wind blowing in just the right direction to capture a perfect image of her small - yet most definitely there - baby bump. “Shit… Shit!” was all he could muster as he scrolled through the images, all very clearly showing his partner in the early stages of pregnancy. “What are they saying, are they going to run it?” He asked, running a hand through his hair, a marker of his internal stress. “It’s The Sun that’s got it, no surprise. They’ve given us until tomorrow morning to reply to their ultimatum. Either we do a deal with them and release the news of the baby within the next two weeks or they’ll run a ‘speculation’ story with these photos in the paper on Thursday morning” she scathed. “I am absolutely NOT announcing the news of our baby through any media deal.” She stated, clearly in politician mode “…And I’ve made this clear to Elizabeth. Our only option is to announce ourselves tomorrow or have the story run, and deny it. Although, I’m not sure denial will make a slight bit of difference, judging by that picture.” Julia’s voice was beginning to waver, and David could sense her sadness through the phone. “I know, this wasn’t how we planned it…” he began “…but the most important people, we can tell tonight. Your mum, my parents… we’ll call them tonight. We can draw up a statement as well. And on the plus side… no more peplum tops” He grinned, hoping his attempt to make light of the situation wouldn’t fuel the woman’s anger. He was relieved to hear a chuckle down the phone. “Okay… okay. We’ll do that. Elizabeth was drawing up a statement just now just in case. I just couldn’t make that decision without you it wasn’t fair. She’s also suggested we do a… well… a photo announcement? Something to make us more relatable?” David grinned as he heard the attempt to disguise her disgust at the idea over the phone. “Sounds good. We can plan it tonight.” He finished, aware of how long he’d been MIA from his post for. “Great, thank you.” Julia replied, composing herself and taking a deep breath. “See you at home then - 9pm?” She asked, aware that David was itching to get back to his post before anyone realised he had been gone. “9pm. See you then” He smiled and put down the phone.

“Everything okay skip? What was that about?” the security guard opposite him probed as he returned to his position on the office floor. 

“You’ll find out tomorrow, I suppose” David grinned back, chucking at the confusion that spread across his colleague’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A true Christmas miracle... another update! I really hope this story isn't disappointing x


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is really short but I wanted to fire it out.
> 
> TW: I AM PUTTING A TRIGGER WARNING ON THIS ONE FOR BABY LOSS. IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS LIKELY TO UPSET YOU, PLEASE SKIP OR AVOID READING THIS CHAPTER.
> 
> (P.S. Don't worry, its a past trauma thinggg)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see Chapter summary for TW (Content explanation).
> 
> P.S. I am such a hoe for comments so keep them coming, I love u all.
> 
> Hope you all had a great Christmas and have a lovely New Year! :)
> 
> *Flashbacks in italics*
> 
> *I'm sorry it's so short but it really made me sad writing it so I need to keep it short for my own sanity!*

Firing through her daily paperwork, Julia noted how work appeared to be the only thing that was distracting her from the anxiety of the publicity release about her and David’s baby tomorrow. Glancing at her laptop, she cringed internally at the examples of cheesy baby announcements she had been trawling through on google earlier, still on screen, almost glaring at her. Elizabeth - having suggested that they accompany their statement with an ‘announcement’ picture - to appear more ‘relatable’ to the public, was not her most favourite person at the moment. Julia hated anything to do with public displays of affection or declarations of love and the thought of posting anything other than a matter of fact statement tomorrow made her feel physically sick. Elizabeth had suggested a simple peg board with the due month on, and a single white rose to accompany it. This was the only suggestion that didn’t make Julia want to vomit into her wastepaper bin that sat at the side of her desk. Elizabeth had since provided her with the board and rose, which also sat glaring at her on the coffee table. Julia rolled her eyes and tried to concentrate on the paperwork she still needed to get through, despite the feeling of the control she had of her world crumbling around her.

David had managed to get off shift early and Julia was waiting for him to pick her up so they could go and break the news to Ella and Charlie. She mused over how this would’ve been the announcement she guessed she’d have been most nervous over, however, now she was being forced into it by the impending press report, the anxiety of telling David’s children was blurring into the significance of now having to tell the whole world by tomorrow afternoon. Hearing the familiar sound of a key in the lock, followed by a call of “Evening, love!” from the entrance of the flat, she sat her paperwork down on the side of the sofa and stood up, smoothing down her oversized cashmere jumper. David entered the room just as she was doing the latter, and eyed his partner carefully. “You ready, love?” He probed, very aware that the politician probably wasn’t in the best of moods. Julia whipped round and glared at him. “Of course I’m not bloody ‘ready’!” She quipped back, mimicking his accent as she so often did when she was pissed off. No matter how many times she did it, David still had to swallow the giggle that threatened to arise from his throat. The indignant look on her face reminded him so much of why he fell in love with her in the first place. “We’re basically being forced into this, David” sighed Julia, attempting to fight with her emotions - being on the edge of losing. “I… I don’t even know if I’m ready for this” she admitted and David was sure he heard her voice break slightly. He knew the idea of the pregnancy and motherhood was tough for Julia, but he wasn’t sure why. It was a topic he knew he had to be careful about broaching, and she had never been forthcoming in terms of speaking about it either.

“Julia… it’s not ideal, I won’t lie. It’s not how I wanted people to find out either. But we always knew we were playing a dangerous game, the further on we got.” He smiled, attempting to reassure her, placing his hands on her slightly swollen abdomen and placing a chaste kiss to her temple. She sighed, then inhaled sharply. “You’re right… but once it’s out there, no one can take the back. And I just don’t want it to happen again…” she trailed off, avoiding his eyes. “Don’t want… what to happen again?” David probed, while Julia mentally prepared herself for having the conversation and thinking the thoughts that she had so desperately been trying to avoid, to forget, for 4 years.

**July 2014**

_Julia pulled her double breasted coat tighter round her body as she followed Roger back to the car. It was the first day in July, and despite the clammy sheen on her skin, Julia felt freezing. Ice cold. Turned to stone._

_In and out through the back door, he’d said. “We don’t want to be seen” he’d said. Not with you looking like that, his eyes had said. Julia took a glimpse of herself in the passenger seat mirror; pale, clammy and empty. She felt so, so empty; which didn’t even make sense, nothing had really changed. Nothing had been lost, but by equal measure, everything had been lost._

_They didn’t speak for the whole drive home. Julia didn’t have anything she wanted to say and Roger, well, he didn’t even seem to care. “We can try again.” He’d offered when the doctor had confirmed everything. “We weren’t trying in the first place” Julia had whispered and Roger was already too busy chatting to the young male doctor about Wimbledon to hear her response._

_The thing that had struck her the most, was that she didn’t feel sad. She hadn’t really felt attached to the pregnancy at all. She hadn’t really believed she was actually pregnant. Not until the pain came. And then she knew, she probably wasn’t pregnant anymore. She didn’t need a doctor to confirm it. She knew. She just knew._

_It had all been a mistake. One pill she had forgotten to take. One time Roger had actually wanted to shag her and not his secretary, the waitress at the Gentleman’s club or the shot girl at the bar. Or any other 20-30 year old female in London, probably. One too many glasses of champagne at the charity ball they’d been attending. A combination of factors that led to a less than satisfactory result._

_Julia was pulled from her thoughts by the abrupt sound of the horn of the Mercedes GLA, that Roger was currently slamming on. “Fucking idiots don’t even know how to drive!” He muttered under his breath. In that moment, she wasn’t sure how she felt about her husband. But she knew one thing. Hate, didn’t even come close._

_“I want a divorce.” Julia had stated, after Roger had pulled into the parking space in front of their large London home. “What?” he quipped, incredulously. Julia could feel his eyes on her face. “I want a divorce. I’ll contact my lawyer tomorrow. I’ll have my stuff moved out by the end of the week.” She stated flatly, opening the car door and stepping out, leaving her soon to be ex husband, open mouthed and for once, speechless. Julia Montague had run out of emotion. She just didn’t care anymore._

_Julia Montague, didn’t need anyone. Julia Montague, could do this all by herself. Julia Montague was empty once again, and she decided, in that moment, she preferred it that way._

“Julia… you never told me… I had no idea” David begun, looking visibly shocked at the information his partner had just provided him with. “Told no one, David. Convinced myself that if I didn’t speak about it, didn’t think about it, I could also convince myself it didn’t happen.” She finished, matter of factly. “Julia… I’m going to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me. Is this what you want?” David whispered, barely meeting her eye. He was terrified he already knew what the answer was.

“Yes! God, David, yes! Back then… it was totally different. I was married and a politician, constantly surrounded by people and yet so, so alone. I convinced myself I had to do everything by myself from then on. And then I met you and… everything changed” She smiled at him and felt him relax. “I want this baby, I want our baby. I know I’m not alone now. I just don’t want to lose either of you.” She finished, meeting David’s blue eyes for the first time all night. “This was OUR choice, remember?” David probed, helping Julia pull her coat on. “I hate to spoil the moment, love, but the kids will be in bed in an hour. I don’t think they’ll appreciate finding out they’re going to have baby sibling from their friends at school” He grinned, grabbing his keys from the side table.

“Our choice.” She repeated softly, taking his hand and stepping out into the cold winter night, ready to face the world as three.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is basically just fluff with small children added. Hope you enjoy!

As always, when she ventured out with David, Julia had requested David drive her, with the back up vehicle and her PPO following suit. Her protection team had not been best pleased at this arrangement initially, but it was something Julia had stood firm on, and was glad she had done so now. It was nice, she thought, to be able to travel with only him, in the driving seat, especially tonight. _“Are you nervous, David?”_ Julia asked quietly, breaking the comfortable silence in the car, the physical contact of her hand of David’s thigh as he drove having allowed her to feel content enough for the last five minutes. _“Not really love, there’s nothing to be worried about. Ella’s wanted another younger sibling pretty much since the day after Vicky and I brought Charlie home, and Charlie’ll just be buzzin’ he’s got another person to play with.”_ He smiled, chuckling at how easily pleased the children so often were. Julia studied his face for a moment. Reading David had never been something that had been easy for her; which she mused was what made him so good at his job - but even now, after everything, she still felt she couldn’t accurately call his bluff.

Julia knew David wouldn’t lie to her; not about the important things anyway. But it frustrated her she couldn’t always figure the man out. She brooded for a second, then replied. _“Are you sure? You seem a bit quiet.”_ He quickly turned to face her, smiling, and their eyes locked for a second before he focused them back on the road in front of them. _“Of course I’m sure. The kids will be well excited. It’s just… rushed, y’know? I wanted to take the time to tell them and to watch them digest the news, rather than a quick 10 minute conversation before bed.”_ Julia smiled and rested her hand back on his thigh. _“Fuck”_ she started, emphasising every sound and syllable in the word _“The Sun.”_

Julia had instructed her Protection Team to wait outside once they arrived at Vicky’s house. This was, Julia deemed, an extremely private moment and the last thing she wanted was the team of police officers she had to spend the majority of her life with crowding the family. Inhaling the crisp evening air abruptly as they came to a stop at the front door, Julia glanced sideways at David. _“It’ll be fine, love”_ David reassured her, placing a hand on the small of her back as Vicky greeted them at the door and led them into the house. _“Charlie! Ella! Daddy and Julia are here!”_ Vicky called up the stairs, and turned to smile at the couple while a loud patter of small feet clamouring about could be heard above the three adults. Shortly after, Ella and Charlie appeared, flying down the stairs and into David’s arms. _“Hi guys!”_ David grinned, his strong arms wrapped round the two small children. Charlie was the first to acknowledge Julia. _“Jool-ya!”_ He shouted, throwing himself at her for a cuddle. _“Wow -_ _hey darling!”_ laughed Julia. Ella grinned over at the two, and decided to join in for what the kids had previously informed Julia was a ‘group hug’. _“Shall we move this_ _into the living room?”_ David suggested, his hand returning to Julia’s back; a small, non-verbal mark of his support and reassurance. The two children galloped into the living room. Despite being in their pyjamas and the fact that they were clearly getting prepared for bed time, they oozed energetic excitement. _“I’m so sorry Vicky, you’re never getting them to sleep tonight!”_ Julia whispered to the woman, watching her children flail about the living room with David in amusement. _“Don’t worry about it”_ Vicky laughed _. “Jack and I took them for ice cream as a treat after school - I still don’t think it’s worn off!”._

Having calmed the children down and managed to get them both to take a seat for a couple of minutes, the ever-observant Ella had noticed the two small boxes David had picked up and carried into the living room after their greeting hug had ended. _“Daddy - who are they for? Are they presents? It’s not our birthdays… or Christmas… or Halloween… or…”_ the small girl continued, rhyming off just about every holiday or celebration in the calendar. _“You’re right, clever girl, it’s absolutely not.”_ He glanced over to Julia, whom was still standing laughing with Vicky and motioned for her to come and sit beside him. _“I’ll go and make tea in the kitchen, give you two a minute with them.”_ Vicky said, gently touching Julia on the arm for encouragement as she made her way into the kitchen, grinning.

Julia sat down beside David, smiling at him and taking a breath. _“Okay...”_ David began. _“You’re right! It isn’t a holiday, but these are for you two. Ella, can you let Charlie open his first? I want to give him time to read it himself.”_ David handed both the children a small box. _“Okay Daddy!”_ Ella smiled. _“Charlie, I can help you if you get confused!”_ She offered to her brother. Although Charlie still struggled slightly with his reading; he had come on leaps and bounds since starting at his new school, and this is why David and Julia had decided to break the news this way.

Gently, Charlie opened the box and pulled out a small blue t-shirt with a picture of a dinosaur on it. He started to sound out the words as Ella began to open her box. _“B_ _\- e - s - t… best?”_ David grinned and nodded. He continued _“Ooooh, I know this word! Big! Best Big…”_ He began to sound out the last word as Ella pulled out her t-shirt - yellow, with a picture of a daisy on it. _“Brother!”_ shouted Charlie triumphantly, as David and Julia’s eyes flickered between the children, waiting for the penny to drop. _“But I’m not a big brother Daddy, how silly!”_ Charlie giggled, mainly voicing internal thoughts rather than addressing his father. _“Did you get me the wrong one?”_ The couple watched the children consider their gifts for a minute. Then Ella’s face lit up. _“Are you… is there…? Are we getting a baby?”_ She questioned excitedly, her eyes darting between her father and Julia, as Charlie looked up from his t-shirt, still deep in thought. _“A real baby? Like, not a doll?”_ Charlie, asked, his brow furrowing as he considered all the options of the unfolding scenario inside his little head. _“Yes!”_ Julia smiled, laughing and placing her hand in David’s, their fingers intertwining. She placed her other hand on her stomach. _“There’s a little baby in here at the moment!”_ She finished, glancing at David as the children both screamed. David could hear Vicky laughing from the kitchen. _“Really? Really!? For real!??”_ Ella exclaimed as she climbed in between the couple for a cuddle, followed seconds later by her younger brother. _“Yes, really! Julia and I are having a baby, and that baby will be your little brother or sister!”_ David explained, stroking Julia’s back as the couple grinned down at the hyper children between them. _“What do you think about that?”_ Julia asked, hearing squeals of excitement in answer to her question.

Later, after the children had calmed down somewhat, Julia and Vicky stood side by side, watching David with Ella and Charlie, answering endless, repeated questions of _“is it a boy or a girl?”_ and _“but when will I be allowed to play with the baby?”_. Julia glanced at Vicky, smiling over at her ex husband and children - her hand resting just below her rib cage. Julia smiled, realisation washing over her like a wave. _“That’s what caught me out”_ she gestured knowingly, as a wave of horror washed over Vicky’s face. _“Julia… how did you… oh gosh… now I’ve gone and stolen your thunder!”_ She cursed, clearly annoyed at herself. _“Vicky, don’t worry. In fact - maybe you could announce yours tomorrow as well - take some of the heat off of me”_ She grinned, rolling her eyes. _“Your face - I knew as soon as I saw you tonight. No offence. Since I’ve become pregnant, I think I’ve become hypersensitive to these things.”_ Julia explained as Vicky relaxed; clearly relieved she hadn’t given it away by herself. _“My face alwayyyys changes!”_ Vicky complained. _“It was actually my mum that noticed first. Told me to take a test and well… she was right.”_ Vicky smiled. _“Look at us two.”_ She finished, gesturing between their abdomens and laughing. Julia took a sip of her tea. _“Are you far along then?”_ She probed, sensing the other woman was just excited to spill the beans to someone. _“Only 7 weeks, so a little behind you. God, the kids are going to be WILD!”_ She moaned, glancing over at the kids, who were currently play-wrestling with David. _“Yes. We should maybe have co-ordinated better!”_ Julia joked, and the two women giggled. _“I suppose I better tell Dave tonight as well, I can’t ask you to keep that from him.”_ Vicky mused, her eyes following the very man playing with the two children. _“Listen, I’m used to keeping secrets. State secrets. Me not telling David slash Dave you’re also pregnant will not be an onerous task for me.”_ She leaned in and grinned, talking in hushed tones. Vicky laughed. _“No, it’s really okay. I’d probably have been telling you both anyway in the next fews days, I just wasn’t planning on it being tonight.”_ She rolled her eyes as Julia sat her mug down, leaving to amuse the kids while Vicky spoke to David.

_“Goodnight kids! Straight to sleep, you hear?”_ David called up the stairs as the couple were making their way out of the door. _“That went well!”_ Vicky grinned. _“Yeah… yeah it did!”_ David mused, smiling at Julia. _“You next!”_ He pointed at Vicky, laughing. _“God, yeah. I’m already not ready.”_ She laughed, as the couple made their way down the stairs to her house. _“See you Friday!”_ David called back as Julia waved goodbye to the woman.

Relaxing into the leather interior seat of the car, Julia sighed. _“That was amazing”_ she smiled. _“Yeah, it definitely was.”_ David replied, his hand placed on her thigh as he started up the engine and signalled to the back-up vehicle. _“Lavender, on the move”_ he spoke into the car transmission radio, and if Julia had closed her eyes, she’d have been taken back to the early days. _“That’s great news about Vicky as well.”_ David continued. _“I was worried, you know, that she’d think I’d just moved on and left her with the kids, now we had one of our own on the way. But it’s great news.”_ He replied, appearing noticeably lighter than earlier in the evening. Julia suddenly realised, it was this worry about Vicky, that had been throwing her off earlier.

_“Ready to take on the world tomorrow?”_ He grinned, taking his eyes off the road for a second to glance at her.

Julia inhaled deeply. _“As long as you’re by my side…”_ she grinned, intertwining her fingers round his hand - that still rested on her thigh - “ _I’m ready for just about anything. Just no bombs again please. Once was quite enough.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided to start putting dialogue in italics. Let me know if you find it easier to read or not!! :)
> 
> I am obsessed with every single one of you that has left a comment, know I love you all and appreciate your kind words sooo much. I was really worried people would hate this but your responses have truly blown me away.
> 
> Sadly, I'm back to work this week; and with lockdown (4, is that we're on now??) coming back in up here in Scotland, my work will completely ramp up. I'm not going to make any promises in regards to updates as we all know how that went last time but I promise I will be back - I'm just not sure exactly when.
> 
> Much love and keep yourself safe in this strange and scary time.
> 
> BB x

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've been sitting on this fic for a while because I felt apprehensive about posting it but here I am. Felt cute, might delete later x 
> 
> Open to constructive criticism and compliments so fire away in the comments.
> 
> Also I know it's really short but I'm testing the waters really. 
> 
> P.S. Screw u Jed for killing Julia. (Is she really dead tho/when is Series 2 happening?)


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